Return of strong winds to Los Angeles threatens area's fight against fires

Mayor Bass issued an executive order that will help clear the way for Los Angeles residents to rapidly rebuild the homes they lost in the fires. It also lays the foundation for businesses to plan their rebuild.

"This unprecedented natural disaster warrants an unprecedented response that will expedite the rebuilding of homes, businesses and communities," Bass said. "This order is the first step in clearing away red tape and bureaucracy to organize around urgency, common sense and compassion. We will do everything we can to get Angelenos back home."

The executive order will help coordinate debris removal from impacted areas, clear the way to rebuild homes as they were, make 1,400 units of housing available and establish a framework to secure additional relief and resources, according to a news release.

As the Los Angeles area braces for another wind system to move in this week, and emergency responders there continue to battle wildfires that erupted last week, investigations are underway to try and determine what might have caused some of the most destructive fires in California's history.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has now taken the investigative lead in the Palisades Fire, where over 23,000 acres have now burned, and aerial imagery shows approximately 5,000 structures damaged or destroyed as of Monday.

One possible theory that has neither been substantiated nor ruled out as of Monday, according to officials, is the involvement of transmission lines or electric facilities in inciting any of the LA County fires.

Edison International CEO talked to ABC7's David Ono about the theory that transmission lines or electric facilities were the possible cause of the Eaton Fire.

In Altadena, where over 14,000 acres have burned and over 7,000 structures are thought to have been destroyed or damaged by what is known as the Eaton Fire, investigators are examining Eaton Canyon in their hunt for clues.

Witnesses shared with ABC News Ring cam and cellphone videos that appear to show what they believe to be the start of the Eaton Fire at the base of a transmission tower in the canyon.

Fire officials told ABC News they are aware of the videos and that they are part of the investigation.

But Edison International, the parent company of one of the country's largest electric utilities, Southern California Edison, which owns transmission lines in that area, said it has not seen evidence that electrical equipment there started the blaze.

In a report filed with the state, Edison said "no fire agency has suggested that SCE's electric facilities were involved in the ignition or requested the removal and retention of any SCE equipment."

The report stated that "preliminary analysis by SCE of electrical circuit information for the energized transmission lines going through the area for 12 hours prior to the reported start time of the fire shows no interruptions or electrical or operational anomalies until more than one hour after the reported start time of the fire."

"Typically, when there's a spark created by equipment, you will see that kind of electrical anomaly. We haven't seen that," Pedro Pizarro, president and CEO of Edison International, told George Stephanopoulos on "Good Morning America" on Monday.

"That said, we have not been able to get up close to the equipment yet because firefighters have not deemed the area safe for entry," he continued. "As soon as we can get close to it, we'll inspect and we'll be transparent with the public."

Edison has said it has received evidence preservation notices from attorneys representing insurance companies with regards to the Eaton Fire.

In Sylmar, the Hurst Fire burned nearly 800 acres before firefighters achieved 97% containment on Monday.

Edison said fire agencies are investigating its equipment there, but Pizarro said the company doesn't know whether its downed equipment in the area has any connection to the fire's start.

We did say that we saw damage to the equipment, but we did notice that the reported start time of that fire was 10:10 p.m.," Pizarro told Stephanopoulos. "We first saw an electrical anomaly in our system at 10:11 p.m. And so with that being so close in time, we don't know whether the damage happened before or after the start of the fire."

Officials have not determined causes of any of the fires yet.

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A Pasadena firefighter who worked tirelessly on the front lines to contain the devastating Eaton Fire and save his community suffered a personal loss during that same fire.

Chien Yu, who works as a fire engineer, began battling the Eaton Fire right after he evacuated his home along with his wife and two children.

Yu worked tirelessly to save his community and unfortunately lost his own home in the fire.

A Pasadena firefighter who worked tirelessly on the front lines to contain the devastating Eaton Fire and save his community suffered a personal loss during that same fire.

"We worked all night, worked really hard. We tried," said Yu as he held back tears, describing how hard he and his crew tried to save homes in Altadena from the wind fueled fire.

"We'd go to a street and try to put out a fire and then walk to the backyard and there would be three to four more homes on fire on the other side of the street."

Among the houses that burned to the ground was his own.

"When we saw the fire, I just said 'Guys it's coming' and I grabbed an empty box and started grabbing stuff," said Yu's wife, Kim.

She headed to safety along with their two sons while Chien went straight to work, only grabbing some socks and underwear.

"When you're trying to go help fight fires and it's actually your home. It's unbelievable," said Yu. "There's no words, no words. It's just crazy what everybody in the neighborhood, the family's gone through."

The Yu's not only lost their home, but they also lost their son's school. But they said they are counting their blessings and preparing for a brighter future.

"We have a fighting spirit in us and we have hope and faith that it will be okay and we will rebuild Altadena," said Kim.

Meanwhile, a GoFundMe was set up to help the Yu family recover.

A Pasadena firefighter who worked tirelessly on the front lines to contain the devastating Eaton Fire and save his community suffered a personal loss during that same fire.

A new fire erupted in Ventura County Monday night and was burning through the Santa Clara riverbed as strong winds threatened the region.

The Auto Fire was first reported around 7 p.m. between Victoria Avenue and Ventura Boulevard.

Forward progress was stopped at around 11:45 p.m. and was mapped at 55 acres with 0% containment.

Crews were forced to battle the fire as strong winds fueled its rapid growth.

At least 100 Ventura City Fire, Oxnard Fire and Federal Fire Ventura County firefighters were actively working to mop up hotspots and increase containment.

The fire was contained to the river bottom.

Northbound traffic of the 101 Freeway was shut down around 9 p.m. as the fire continued to spread closer to Victoria Avenue.

The Auto Fire burned near the River Ridge Golf Club and the 101 Freeway, but VCFD said it was not a threat to any structures.

An evacuation order was issued for the Santa Clara River between the 101 Freeway and Victoria Avenue. No residential areas were placed under evacuation.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

A new fire erupted in Ventura County Monday night and was burning through the Santa Clara riverbed as strong winds threatened the region.